#i left myself a big as fucking note and still forgot the necklace twice

[konohamaru-sensei]

one thing you need to know about me is that I contain multitudes

[96harmony96]

Chapter 6

Hey, Dad. I caught you.” I adjusted my grip on the phone receiver and pulled up a stool at the breakfast bar. I missed my father. For the last four years we’d lived close enough to see each other at least once a week. Now his home in Oceanside was the entire country away. “How are you?”

He lowered the volume on the television. “Better, now that you’ve called. How was your first week at work?”

I went over my days from Monday through Friday, skipping over all the Lauren parts. “I really like my boss, Mark,” I finished. “And the vibe of the agency is very energetic and kind of quirky. I’m happy going to work every day, and I’m bummed when it’s time to go home.”

“I hope it stays that way. But you need to make sure you have some downtime, too. Go out, be young, have fun. But not too much fun.”

“Yeah, I had a little too much last night. Cary and I went clubbing, and I woke up with a mean hangover.”

“Shit, don’t tell me that.” He groaned. “Some nights I wake up in a cold sweat thinking about you in New York. I get through it by telling myself you’re too smart to take chances, thanks to two parents who’ve drilled safety rules into your DNA.”

“Which is true,” I said, laughing. “That reminds me…I’m going to start Krav Maga training.”

“Really?” There was a thoughtful pause. “One of the guys on the force is big on it. Maybe I’ll check it out and we can compare notes when I come out to visit you.”

“You’re coming to New York?” I couldn’t hide my excitement. “Oh, Dad, I’d love it if you would. As much as I miss SoCal, Manhattan is really awesome. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’d like anyplace in the world as long as you’re there.” He waited a beat, then asked, “How’s your mom?”

“Well…she’s Mom. Beautiful, charming, and obsessive-compulsive.”

My chest hurt and I rubbed at it. I thought my dad might still love my mom. He’d never married. That was one of the reasons I never told him about what happened to me. As a cop, he would’ve insisted on pressing charges and the scandal would have destroyed my mother. I also worried that he’d lose respect for her or even blame her, and it hadn’t been her fault. As soon as she’d found out what her stepson was doing to me, she’d left a husband she was happy with and filed for divorce.

I kept talking, waving at Cary as he came rushing in with a little blue Tiffany & Co. bag. “We had a spa day today. It was a fun way to cap off the week.”

I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “I’m glad you two are managing to spend time together. What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?”

I hedged on the subject of the charity event, knowing the whole red carpet business and astronomically-priced dinner seats would just highlight the gap between my parents’ lives. “Cary and I are going out to eat, and then I plan on staying in tomorrow. Sleeping in late, hanging out in my pajamas all day, maybe some movies and food delivery of some sort. A little vegetating before a new work week kicks off.”

“Sounds like heaven to me. I may copy you when my next day off rolls around.”

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was creeping past six. “I have to get ready now. Be careful at work, okay? I worry about you, too.”

“Will do. Bye, baby.”

The familiar sign-off had me missing him so much my throat hurt. “Oh, wait! I’m getting a new cell phone. I’ll text you the number as soon as I have it.”

“Again? You just got a new one when you moved.”

“Long, boring story.”

“Hmm…Don’t put it off. They’re good for safety as well as playing Angry Birds.”

“I’m over that game!” I laughed and warmth spread through me to hear him laughing, too. “I’ll call you in a few days. Be good.”

“That’s my line.”

We hung up. I sat for a few moments in the ensuing silence, feeling like everything was right in my world, which never lasted long. I brooded on that for minute; then Cary cranked up Hinder on his bedroom stereo and that kicked my butt into gear.

I hurried to my room to get ready for a night with Lauren.

“Necklace or no necklace?” I asked Cary, when he came into my bedroom looking seriously amazing. Dressed in his new Brioni tux, he was both debonair and dashing, and certain to attract attention.

“Hmm.” His head tilted to the side as he studied me. “Hold it up again.”

I lifted the choker of gold coins to my throat. The dress my mom had sent was fire engine red and styled for a Grecian goddess. It hung on one shoulder, cut diagonally across my cleavage, had ruching to the hip, and then split at my right upper thigh all the way down my leg. There was no back to speak of, aside from a slender strip of rhinestones that connected one side to the other to keep the front from falling off. Otherwise, the back was bared to just above the crack of my buttocks in a racy V-cut.

“Forget the necklace,” he said. “I was leaning toward gold chandeliers, but now I’m thinking diamond hoops. The biggest ones you’ve got.”

“What? Really?” I frowned at our reflections in my cheval mirror, watching as he moved to my jewelry box and dug through it.

“These.” He brought them to me and I eyed the two-inch hoops my mother had given me for my eighteenth birthday. “Trust me, Camila. Try ’em on.”

I did and found he was right. It was a very different look from the gold choker, less glam and more edgy sensuality. And the earrings went well with the diamond anklet on my right leg that I’d never think of the same way again after Lauren’s comment. With my hair swept off my face into a cascade of thick, deliberately messy curls, I had a just-screwed look that was complemented by smoky eye shadow and glossy nude lips.

“What would I do without you, Cary Taylor?”

“Baby girl”—he set his hands on my shoulders and pressed his cheek to mine—“you’ll never find out.”

“You look awesome, by the way.”

“Don’t I?” He winked and stepped back, showing off.

In his own way, Cary could give Lauren a run for her money…er, looks. Cary was more finely featured, almost pretty compared to Lauren’s savage beauty, but both were striking people that made you look twice, and then stare in greedy delight.

Cary hadn’t been quite so perfect when I met him. He’d been strung out and gaunt, his emerald eyes cloudy and lost. But I’d been drawn to him, going out of my way to sit next to him in group therapy. He’d finally propositioned me crudely, having come to believe the only reason people associated with him was because they wanted to fuck him. It was when I declined, firmly and irrevocably, that we finally connected and became best friends. He was the brother I’d never had.

The intercom buzzed and I jumped, making me realize how nervous I was. I looked at Cary. “I forgot to tell the front desk she was coming back.”

“I’ll get her.”

“Are you going to be okay riding over with Stanton and my mom?”

“Are you kidding? They love me.” His smile dimmed. “Having second thoughts about going with Jauregui?”

I took a deep breath, remembering where I’d been earlier—on my back in a multi-orgasmic daze. “Not really, no. It’s just that everything’s happening so fast and going better than I expected or realized I wanted…”

“You’re wondering what the catch is.” Reaching out, he tapped my nose with his fingertip. “she’s the catch, Camila. And you landed her. Enjoy yourself.”

“I’m trying.” I was grateful that Cary understood me and the way my mind worked. It was just so easy being with him, knowing he could fill in the blanks when I couldn’t explain something.

“I researched the hell out of her this morning and printed out the interesting recent stuff. It’s on your desk, if you decide you want to check it out.”

I remembered him printing something before we got ready for the spa. Pushing onto my tiptoes, I kissed his cheek. “You’re the best. I love you.”

“Back atcha, baby girl.” He headed out. “I’ll head down to the front desk and bring her up. Take your time. she’s ten minutes early.”

Smiling, I watched him saunter into the hallway. The door had closed behind him when I moved into the small sitting room attached to my bedroom. On the very impractical escritoire my mother had picked out, I found a folder filled with articles and printed images. I settled into the chair and got lost in Lauren Jauregui's history.

It was like watching a train wreck to read that she was the Daughter of Geoffrey Jauregui, former chairman of an investment securities firm later found to be a front for a massive Ponzi scheme. Lauren was just five years old when her dad committed suicide with a gunshot to the head rather than face prison time.

Oh, Lauren. I tried to picture her that young and imagined a handsome dark-haired girl with beautiful green eyes filled with terrible confusion and sadness. The image broke my heart. How devastating her father’s suicide—and the circumstances around it—must have been, for both her and her mother. The stress and strain at such a difficult time would’ve been enormous, especially for a child of that age.

Her mother went on to marry Christopher Vidal, a music executive, and had two more children, Christopher Vidal Jr. and Ireland Vidal, but it seemed a larger family and financial security had come too late to help Lauren stabilize after such a huge shakeup. she was too closed off not to bear some painful emotional scars.

With a critical and curious eye, I studied the women who’d been photographed with Lauren and thought about her approach to dating, socializing, and sex. I saw that my mom had been right—they were all blondes. The woman who appeared with her most often bore the hallmarks of a KaKasian heritage. she was taller than me, willowy rather than curvy.

“Magdalene Perez,” I murmured, grudgingly admitting that she was a stunner. Her posture had the kind of flamboyant confidence that I admired.

“Okay, it’s been long enough,” Cary interrupted with a soft note of amusement. He filled the doorway to my sitting room, leaning insolently into the doorjamb.

“Really?” I’d been so absorbed; I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

“I would guess you’re about a minute away from her coming to find you. she’s barely restraining herself.”

I shut the folder and stood.

“Interesting reading, isn’t it?”

“Very.” How had lauren’s father—or more specifically, her father’s suicide—influenced her life?

I knew all the answers I wanted were waiting for me in the next room.

Leaving my bedroom, I took the hallway to the living room. I paused on the threshold, my gaze riveted to lauren’s back as she stood in front of the windows and looked out at the city. My heart rate kicked up. Her reflection revealed a contemplative mood. Her gaze was unfocused and her mouth grim. Her crossed arms betrayed an inherent unease, as if she was out of her element. she looked remote and removed, a woman who was inherently alone.

she sensed my presence or maybe he felt my yearning. she pivoted; then went very still. I took the opportunity to drink her in, my gaze sliding all over her. she looked every inch the powerful magnate. So sensually handsome my eyes burned just from looking at her. The rakish fall of black hair around her face made my fingers flex with the urge to touch it. And the way she looked at me…my pulse leaped.

“Camila.” she came toward me, her stride graceful and strong. she caught up my hand and lifted it to her mouth. Her gaze was intense—intensely hot, intensely focused.

The feel of her lips against my skin sent goose bumps racing up my arm and stirred memories of that sinful mouth on other parts of my body. I was instantly aroused. “Hi.”

Amusement warmed her eyes. “Hi, yourself. You look amazing. I can’t wait to show you off.”

I breathed through the delight I felt at the compliment. “Let’s hope I can do you justice.”

A slight frown knit the space between her brows. “Do you have everything you need?”

Cary appeared beside me, carrying my black velvet shawl and opera length gloves. “Here you go. I tucked your gloss into your clutch.”

“You’re the best, Cary.”

He winked at me—which told me he’d seen the condoms I had tucked into the small interior pocket. “I’ll head down with you two.”

Lauren took the shawl from Cary and draped it over my shoulders. she pulled my hair out from underneath it and the feel of her hands at my neck so distracted me, I barely paid attention when Cary pushed my gloves into my hands.

The elevator ride to the lobby was an exercise in surviving acute sexual tension. Not that Cary seemed to notice. He was on my left with both hands in his pockets, whistling. Lauren, on the other hand, was a tremendous force on the other side of me. Although ahe didn’t move or make a sound, I could feel the edgy energy radiating from her. My skin tingled from the magnetic pull between us, and my breath came short and fast. I was relieved when the doors opened and freed us from the enclosed space.

Two women stood waiting to get on. Their jaws dropped when they saw Lauren and Cary, and that lightened my mood and made me smile.

“Ladies,” Cary greeted them, with a smile that really wasn’t fair. I could almost see their brain cells misfiring.

In contrast, Lauren gave a curt nod and led me out with a hand at the small of my back, skin to skin. The contact was electric, sending heat pouring through me.

I squeezed Cary’s hand. “Save a dance for me.”

“Always. See you in a bit.”

A limousine was waiting at the curb, and the driver opened the door when Lauren and I stepped outside. I slid across the bench seat to the opposite side and adjusted my gown. When Lauren settled beside me and the door shut, I became highly conscious of how good she smelled. I breathed her in, telling myself to relax and enjoy her company. she took my hand and ran her fingertips over the palm, the simple touch sparking a fierce lust. I shrugged off my shawl, feeling too hot to wear it.

“Camila.” she hit a button and the privacy glass behind the driver began to slide up. The next moment I was tugged across her lap and her mouth was on mine, kissing me fiercely.

I did what I’d wanted to do since I saw hee in my living room: I shoved my hands in her hair and kissed her back. I loved the way she kissed me, as if she had to, as if she’d go crazy if she didn’t and had nearly waited too long. I sucked on her tongue, having learned how much she liked it, having learned how much I liked it, how much it made me want to suck her elsewhere with the same eagerness.

Her hands were sliding over my bare back and I moaned, feeling the prod of her erection against my hip. I shifted, moving to straddle her, shoving the skirt of my gown out of the way and making a mental note to thank my mom for the dress—which had such a convenient slit. With my knees on either side of her hips, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and deepened the kiss. I licked into her mouth, nibbled on her lower lip, stroked my tongue along her…

Lauren gripped my waist and pushed me away. she leaned into the seat back, her neck arched to look up at my face, her chest heaving. “What are you doing to me?”

I ran my hands down her chest through her dress shirt, feeling the unforgiving hardness of her muscles. My fingers traced the ridges of her abdomen, my mind forming a picture of how she might look naked. “I’m touching you. Enjoying the hell out of you. I want you, Lauren.”

she caught my wrists, stilling my movements. “Later. We’re in the middle of Manhattan.”

“No one can see us.”

“That’s not the point. It’s not the time or place to start something we can’t finish for hours. I’m losing my mind already from this afternoon.”

“So let’s make sure we finish it now.”

Her grip tightened painfully. “We can’t do that here.”

“Why not?” Then a surprising thought struck me. “Haven’t you ever had sex in a limo?”

“No.” Her jaw hardened. “Have you?”

Looking away without answering, I saw the traffic and pedestrians surging around us. We were only inches away from hundreds of people, but the dark glass concealed us and made me feel reckless. I wanted to please her. I wanted to know I was capable of reaching into Lauren Jauregui, and there was nothing to stop me but her.

I rocked my hips against her, stroking myself with the hard length of her cock. Her breath hissed out between clenched teeth.

“I need you, Lauren,” I said breathlessly, inhaling her scent, which was richer now that she was aroused. I thought I might be slightly intoxicated, just from the enticing smell of her skin. “You drive me crazy.”

she released my wrists and cupped my face, her lips pressing hard against mine. I reached for the fly of her slacks, freeing the two buttons to access the concealed zipper. she tensed.

“I need this,” I whispered against her lips. “Give me this.”

she didn’t relax, but she made no further attempts to stop me either. When she fell heavily into my palms, she groaned, the sound both pained and erotic. I squeezed her gently, my touch deliberately tender as I sized her with my hands. she was so hard, like stone, and hot. I slid both of my fists up her length from root to tip, my breath catching when she quivered beneath me.

Lauren gripped my thighs, her hands sliding upward beneath the edges of my dress until her thumbs found the red lace of my thong. “Your cunt is so sweet,” she murmured into my mouth. “I want to spread you out and lick you ’til you beg for my cock.”

“I’ll beg now, if you want.” I stroked her with one hand and reached for my clutch with the other, snapping it open to grab a condom.

One of her thumbs slid beneath the edge of my panties, the pad sliding through the slickness of my desire. “I’ve barely touched you,” she whispered, her eyes glittering up at me in the shadows of the backseat, “and you’re ready for me.”

“I can’t help it.”

“I don’t want you to help it.” she pushed her thumb inside me, biting her lower lip when I clenched helplessly around her. “It wouldn’t be fair when I can’t stop what you do to me.”

I ripped the foil packet open with my teeth and held it out to her with the ring of the condom protruding from the tear. “I’m not good with these.”

Her hand curled around mine. “I’m breaking all my rules with you.”

The seriousness of her low tone sent a burst of warmth and confidence through me. “Rules are made to be broken.”

I saw her teeth flash white; then she hit a button on the panel beside him and said, “Drive until I say otherwise.”

My cheeks heated. Another car’s headlights pierced the dark tinted glass and slid over my face, betraying my embarrassment.

“Why, Camila,” she purred, rolling the condom on deftly. “You’ve seduced me into having sex in my limousine, but blush when I tell my driver I don’t want to be interrupted while you do it to me?”

Her sudden playfulness made me desperate to have her. Setting my hands on her shoulders for balance, I lifted onto my knees, rising to gain the height I needed to hover over the crown of Laurens thick cock. Her hands fisted at my hips and I heard a snap as she tore my panties away. The abrupt sound and the violent action behind it spurred my desire to a fever pitch.

“Go slow,” she ordered hoarsely, lifting her hips to push her pants down farther.

Her erection brushed between my legs as she moved and I whimpered, so aching and empty, as if the orgasms she’d given me earlier had only deepened my craving rather than appeased it.

she tensed when I wrapped my fingers around her and positioned her, tucking the wide crest against the saturated folds of my cleft. The scent of our lust was heavy and humid in the air, a seductive mix of need and pheromones that awakened every cell in my body. My skin was flushed and tingling, my breasts heavy and tender.

This is what I’d wanted from the moment I first saw her—to possess her, to climb up her magnificent body and take her deep inside me.

“God. Camila,” she gasped as I lowered onto her, her hands flexing restlessly on my thighs.

I closed my eyes, feeling too exposed. I’d wanted intimacy with her and yet this seemed too intimate. We were eye-to-eye, only inches apart, cocooned in a small space with the rest of the world streaming by around us. I could sense his agitation, knew she was feeling as off-center as I was.

“You’re so tight.” Her gasped words were threaded with a hint of delicious agony.

I took more of her, letting her slide deeper. I sucked in a deep breath, feeling exquisitely stretched. “You’re so big.”

Pressing her palm flat to my lower belly, she touched my throbbing clit with the pad of her thumb and began to massage it in slow, expertly soft circles. Everything in my core tightened and clenched, sucking her deeper. Opening my eyes, I looked at her from under heavy eyelids. she was so beautiful sprawled beneath me in her elegant tuxedo, her powerful body straining with the primal need to mate.

Her neck arched, her head pressing hard into the seatback as if she was struggling against invisible bonds. “Ah, Christ,” she bit out, her teeth grinding. “I’m going to come so hard.”

The dark promise excited me. Sweat misted my skin. I became so wet and hot that I slid smoothly down the length of her cock until I’d nearly sheathed her. A breathless cry escaped me before I’d taken her to the root. she was so deep I could hardly stand it, forcing me to shift from side to side, trying to ease the unexpected bite of discomfort. But my body didn’t seem to care that she was too big. It was rippling around her, squeezing, trembling on the verge of orgasm.

Lauren cursed and gripped my hip with her free hand, urging me to lean backward as her chest heaved with frantic breaths. The position altered my descent and I opened, accepting all of her. Immediately her body temperature rose, her torso radiating sultry heat through her clothes. Sweat dotted her upper lip.

Leaning forward, I slid my tongue along the sculpted curve, collecting the saltiness with a low murmur of delight. Her hips churned impatiently. I lifted carefully, sliding up a few inches before she stopped me with that ferocious grasp on my hip.

“Slow,” she warned again, with an authoritative bite that sent lust pulsing through me.

I lowered, taking her into me again, feeling an oddly luscious soreness as she pushed just past my limits. Our eyes locked on each other as the pleasure spread from the place where we connected. It struck me then that we were both fully clothed except for the most private and intimate parts of our bodies. I found that excruciatingly carnal, as were the sounds she made, as if the pleasure was as extreme for her as it was for me.

Wild for her, I pressed my mouth to her, my fingers gripping the sweat-damp roots of her hair. I kissed her as I rocked my hips, riding the maddening circling of her thumb, feeling the orgasm building with every slide of her long, thick penis into my melting core.

I lost my mind somewhere along the way, primitive instinct taking over until my body was completely in charge. I could focus on nothing but the driving urge to fuck, the ferocious need to ride her cock until the tension burst and set me free of this grinding hunger.

“It’s so good,” I sobbed, lost to her. “You feel…Ah, God, it’s too good.”

Using both hands, Lauren commanded my rhythm, tilting me into an angle that had the big crown of her cock rubbing a tender, aching spot inside me. As I tightened and shook, I realized I was going to come from that, just from the expert thrust of her inside me. “Lauren.”

she captured me by the nape as the orgasm exploded through me, starting with the ecstatic spasms of my core and radiating outward until I was trembling all over. she watched me fall apart, holding my gaze when I would’ve closed my eyes. Possessed by her stare, I moaned and came harder than I ever had, my body jerking with every pulse of pleasure.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she growled, pounding her hips up at me, yanking my hips down to meet her punishing lunges. she hit the end of me with every deep thrust, battering into me. I could feel her growing harder and thicker.

I watched her avidly, needing to see it when she went over the edge for me. Her eyes were wild with her need, losing their focus as her control frayed, her gorgeous face ravaged by the brutal race to climax.

“Camila!” she came with an animal sound of feral ecstasy, a snarling release that riveted me with its ferocity. she shook as the orgasm tore into her, her features softening for an instant with an unexpected vulnerability.

Cupping her face, I brushed my lips across her, comforting her as the forceful bursts of her gasping breaths struck my cheeks.

“Camila.” she wrapped her arms around me and crushed me to her, pressing her damp face into the curve of my neck.

I knew just how she felt. Stripped. Laid bare.

We stayed like that for a long time, holding each other, absorbing the aftershocks. she turned her head and kissed me softly, the strokes of her tongue into my mouth soothing my ragged emotions.

“Wow,” I breathed, shaken.

Her mouth twitched. “Yeah.”

I smiled, feeling dazed and high.

Lauren brushed the damp tendrils of hair off my temples, her fingertips gliding almost reverently across my face. The way she studied me made my chest hurt. she looked stunned and…grateful, her eyes warm and tender. “I don’t want to break this moment.”

Because I could hear it hanging in the air, I filled it in. “But…?”

“But I can’t blow off this dinner. I have a speech to give.”

“Oh.” The moment was effectively broken.

I lifted gingerly off of her, biting my lip at the feel of her slipping wetly out of me. The friction was enough to make me want more. she’d barely softened.

“Damn it,” she said roughly. “I want you again.”

she caught me before I moved away, pulling a handkerchief out from somewhere and running it gently between my legs. It was a deeply intimate act, on par with the sex we’d just had.

When I was dry, I settled on the seat beside her and dug my lip gloss out of my clutch. I watched Lauren over the edge of my mirrored compact as she removed the condom and tied it off. she wrapped it in a cocktail napkin; then tossed it in a cleverly hidden trash receptacle. After restoring her appearance, she told the driver to head to our destination. Then she settled into the seat and stared out the window.

With every second that passed, I felt her withdrawing, the connection between us slipping further and further away. I found myself shrinking into the corner of the seat, away from her, mimicking the distance I felt building between us. All the warmth I’d felt receded into a marked chill, cooling me enough that I pulled my shawl around me again. she didn’t move a muscle as I shifted beside her and put my compact away, as if she wasn’t even aware I was there.

Abruptly, Lauren opened the bar and pulled out a bottle. Without looking at me, she asked, “Brandy?”

“No, thank you.” My voice was small, but she didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe she didn’t care. she poured a drink and tossed it back.

Confused and stung, I pulled on my gloves and tried to figure out what went wrong.

[fanficshiddles]

I’m still breathing, Chapter 42

A few days after Sophie learning that her mutation gene was gone, Tony had planned a party for that evening. For Loki and Sophie. To celebrate the defeat of Thanos and Owen.

Loki entered Sophie’s room to find her sitting on the edge of her bed with a towel wrapped around her.

‘Are you alright, sweetheart?’ He walked around the bed and sat down next to her, smoothing her still wet hair back from her face to behind her ear.

‘I… don’t know. I just, I can’t shake this feeling of… emptiness. Knowing that there’s a part of me that’s gone.’ She looked at Loki, his heart broke all over again seeing how upset she was about her mutation gene.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. ‘It will take time, darling. But a wise woman once told me, that time is a great healer.’ He kissed her forehead.

Sophie managed a small smile and leaned back slightly to look at him. ‘Throwing my own words at me, isn’t that cheating?’

‘Or just reminding you.’ He shrugged, grinning.

Sophie took in his appearance more. ‘A suit? I thought you and Thor would be showing off with your Asgardian armour.’ She said teasingly and reached out to take hold of his tie, twirling it around her fingers.

‘And I thought you would be wearing something more substantial than a towel.’ He purred, eyes glistening with mischief.

‘Well… maybe it’s the new fashion.’

Loki growled and swivelled them around so he was able to crawl over her while he gently lay her down on her back. ‘It better not be. I don’t want anyone else laying their hungry eyes upon you.’ He kissed her, gently at first, it quickly escalated when Loki used his Seidr to remove her towel.

Sophie could feel his very evident arousal press against her bare hip.

Loki kissed down along her jaw and down to her neck, but then he heard something else that wasn’t just her breath hitching. He paused and leaned up slightly, frowning to see tears had formed in her eyes.

‘Darling, what is it? I’ll stop if you want.’ He cupped her cheek softly in his hand.

‘No, don’t stop… I just…’ She swallowed. ‘You still want me?’

Loki almost shed a tear at that. It wasn’t often she showed vulnerability anymore, but it was so evident in her voice and on her face.

‘Why would I ever not, my love? I love you dearly, more than anything in all the nine realms. That will never change. I will always want you.’ He started tracing patterns on her face with the tips of his fingers, making her heart soar.

‘I just thought, without my power…’

‘Sophie. I loved you before we even discovered your powers. Remember?’ He smiled and leaned down again, nuzzling her nose with his. ‘Actually, I think I fell in love with you when you first stabbed me.’ He grinned.

The realisation that Loki was indeed correct, hit her hard. She suddenly felt so ridiculous for even questioning his love for her.

Loki noticed the change in her demeanour and he chuckled, kissing her again.

‘Heyyyy, finally! Here’s the two VIPs!’ Tony cheered, holding up his glass when Loki and Sophie finally arrived to the party, hand in hand.

Sophie had opted to wearing a black velvet dress that matched Loki’s suit. Her necklace sat nicely on her chest. Loki had his one on show too on top of his shirt.

‘You’re late!’ Said Steve.

‘Fashionably late.’ Loki corrected him with a smirk.

The two joined the group and grabbed some drinks. Natasha elbowed Sophie playfully. ‘Yeah, I wonder why.’ She winked at her, noting her flushed face.

As every party was, it was a big success. Everyone was merry and happily stuffed with food. The music was blaring and everyone was danced around, laughing and talking.

‘We never got a chance to hear about your last trip to Asgard.’ Vision asked when they all sat around, everyone else had gone leaving only the team left. And Jane, Darcy and Laura.

‘It was amazing! You think there’s beautiful places on Earth, nothing compares to Asgard.’ Natasha said, handing out shots to everyone.

‘What was it like to meet the Gods?’ Darcy asked.

‘You’re already in the presence of a God!’ Loki said cockily, giving Sophie a squeeze around her middle, making her laugh.

‘Oi! Two!’ Thor said after a moment, slightly slow on the conversation, making the team burst into laughter. 'Father was highly impressed with Natasha's fighting skills. He wishes for her to lead the Einhajar in battles.' He said proudly to the group, who all looked at Natasha in surprise. She just looked incredibly smug.

‘I am the best.’ She shrugged and downed her shot.

‘Throwing Volstagg across the hall was certainly a mighty feat.’ Thor laughed.

‘I so wish I had that on video.’ Sophie giggled.

‘Ooo, Soph! Did you tell Loki about riding Rokkvi?’ Natasha sat down at the other side of Sophie.

‘Oh my god, I forgot!’ Sophie jumped excitedly and turned to face Loki.

He raised an eyebrow at her, not sure what she was going to say.

‘I rode all by myself! Twice! Rokkvi is amazing.’

Loki’s face lit up. ‘Really? That’s fantastic, darling! I told you all along that you could do it. And of course he is, he is my horse after all.’ Loki winked at her and hauled her back into him, making her giggle.

They group all stayed up drinking some more and chatting until the early hours of the morning. Then they all retreated to bed.

Loki and Sophie made their way back to Loki’s room. Sophie was slightly ahead, as they were teasing and toying with one another. Loki was stalking after her, laughing too.

But when they reached Loki’s room, Sophie walked straight into the door. She banged her head and stumbled backwards slightly. ‘Ahhh! Fuck!’

‘SOPHIE!’ Loki rushed over to her and caught her in his arms. ‘Are you ok? Oh my darling.’ He pulled her against him and put his hand over her forehead, using his Seidr to take away the pain and make sure there was no damage.

‘I forgot.’ She whispered, hiding her face against Loki. A mixture of embarrassment and sadness.

Loki just held her for a moment, stroking the back of her head. Then he took her into his room and helped her to forget about her troubles for a while.

[imagine-loki]

I'm still breathing, Chapter 42

TITLE: I’m still breathing CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 42 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine a mutant has been living on the streets for years, until she is picked up by the Avengers. She’s taken to live with them so they can help her to discover what her powers are. Loki especially, takes an interest in her. The two become very fond of one another as they discover what her power is. RATING: M

A few days after Sophie learning that her mutation gene was gone, Tony had planned a party for that evening. For Loki and Sophie. To celebrate the defeat of Thanos and Owen.

Loki entered Sophie’s room to find her sitting on the edge of her bed with a towel wrapped around her.

‘Are you alright, sweetheart?’ He walked around the bed and sat down next to her, smoothing her still wet hair back from her face to behind her ear.

‘I… don’t know. I just, I can’t shake this feeling of… emptiness. Knowing that there’s a part of me that’s gone.’ She looked at Loki, his heart broke all over again seeing how upset she was about her mutation gene.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. ‘It will take time, darling. But a wise woman once told me, that time is a great healer.’ He kissed her forehead.

Sophie managed a small smile and leaned back slightly to look at him. ‘Throwing my own words at me, isn’t that cheating?’

‘Or just reminding you.’ He shrugged, grinning.

Sophie took in his appearance more. ‘A suit? I thought you and Thor would be showing off with your Asgardian armour.’ She said teasingly and reached out to take hold of his tie, twirling it around her fingers.

‘And I thought you would be wearing something more substantial than a towel.’ He purred, eyes glistening with mischief.

‘Well… maybe it’s the new fashion.’

Loki growled and swivelled them around so he was able to crawl over her while he gently lay her down on her back. ‘It better not be. I don’t want anyone else laying their hungry eyes upon you.’ He kissed her, gently at first, it quickly escalated when Loki used his Seidr to remove her towel.

Sophie could feel his very evident arousal press against her bare hip.

Loki kissed down along her jaw and down to her neck, but then he heard something else that wasn’t just her breath hitching. He paused and leaned up slightly, frowning to see tears had formed in her eyes.

‘Darling, what is it? I’ll stop if you want.’ He cupped her cheek softly in his hand.

‘No, don’t stop… I just…’ She swallowed. ‘You still want me?’

Loki almost shed a tear at that. It wasn’t often she showed vulnerability anymore, but it was so evident in her voice and on her face.

‘Why would I ever not, my love? I love you dearly, more than anything in all the nine realms. That will never change. I will always want you.’ He started tracing patterns on her face with the tips of his fingers, making her heart soar.

‘I just thought, without my power…’

‘Sophie. I loved you before we even discovered your powers. Remember?’ He smiled and leaned down again, nuzzling her nose with his. ‘Actually, I think I fell in love with you when you first stabbed me.’ He grinned.

The realisation that Loki was indeed correct, hit her hard. She suddenly felt so ridiculous for even questioning his love for her.

Loki noticed the change in her demeanour and he chuckled, kissing her again.

‘Heyyyy, finally! Here’s the two VIPs!’ Tony cheered, holding up his glass when Loki and Sophie finally arrived to the party, hand in hand.

Sophie had opted to wearing a black velvet dress that matched Loki’s suit. Her necklace sat nicely on her chest. Loki had his one on show too on top of his shirt.

‘You’re late!’ Said Steve.

‘Fashionably late.’ Loki corrected him with a smirk.

The two joined the group and grabbed some drinks. Natasha elbowed Sophie playfully. ‘Yeah, I wonder why.’ She winked at her, noting her flushed face.

As every party was, it was a big success. Everyone was merry and happily stuffed with food. The music was blaring and everyone was danced around, laughing and talking.

‘We never got a chance to hear about your last trip to Asgard.’ Vision asked when they all sat around, everyone else had gone leaving only the team left. And Jane, Darcy and Laura.

‘It was amazing! You think there’s beautiful places on Earth, nothing compares to Asgard.’ Natasha said, handing out shots to everyone.

‘What was it like to meet the Gods?’ Darcy asked.

‘You’re already in the presence of a God!’ Loki said cockily, giving Sophie a squeeze around her middle, making her laugh.

‘Oi! Two!’ Thor said after a moment, slightly slow on the conversation, making the team burst into laughter. ‘Father was highly impressed with Natasha’s fighting skills. He wishes for her to lead the Einhajar in battles.’ He said proudly to the group, who all looked at Natasha in surprise. She just looked incredibly smug.

‘I am the best.’ She shrugged and downed her shot.

‘Throwing Volstagg across the hall was certainly a mighty feat.’ Thor laughed.

‘I so wish I had that on video.’ Sophie giggled.

‘Ooo, Soph! Did you tell Loki about riding Rokkvi?’ Natasha sat down at the other side of Sophie.

‘Oh my god, I forgot!’ Sophie jumped excitedly and turned to face Loki.

He raised an eyebrow at her, not sure what she was going to say.

‘I rode all by myself! Twice! Rokkvi is amazing.’

Loki’s face lit up. ‘Really? That’s fantastic, darling! I told you all along that you could do it. And of course he is, he is my horse after all.’ Loki winked at her and hauled her back into him, making her giggle.

They group all stayed up drinking some more and chatting until the early hours of the morning. Then they all retreated to bed.

Loki and Sophie made their way back to Loki’s room. Sophie was slightly ahead, as they were teasing and toying with one another. Loki was stalking after her, laughing too.

But when they reached Loki’s room, Sophie walked straight into the door. She banged her head and stumbled backwards slightly. ‘Ahhh! Fuck!’

‘SOPHIE!’ Loki rushed over to her and caught her in his arms. ‘Are you ok? Oh my darling.’ He pulled her against him and put his hand over her forehead, using his Seidr to take away the pain and make sure there was no damage.

‘I forgot.’ She whispered, hiding her face against Loki. A mixture of embarrassment and sadness.

Loki just held her for a moment, stroking the back of her head. Then he took her into his room and helped her to forget about her troubles for a while.